Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

shep · 2011-04-24 19:02:42

I have a new core i686 install setup on a backup machine and was debating trying out a different desktop.
I have been a steady XFCE4 user after migrating from Gnome 2.

I am not a big fan of bloat and hope that I can predominately use one toolkit.

I tried E17 in FreeBSD 8.2 and found it buggy. In the BSD's that sometimes means the code is linux specific.
The BSD's are dealing with Kernel Mode setting in video drivers and only FreeBSD made the effort to incorporate HAL into automounting. Although HAL was introduced in Linux it is now being deprecated. Getting a little off track but point is that E17 instability seen in FreeBSD may not be seen in Arch. Plus I think the Arch community is updating E17 more frequently. Any Feedback on how stable E17 (from community-svn - not the build script) is?

Also thinking about trying the Gnome Shell. Any insight as when it moves from testing to community?

Lastly, I'm considering try to emulate the Mac OS/X feel with one of the ****box window managers with a fancy dock ?gtk-dock. Does composting need to be enabled for gtk-dock and how graphic intensive is it? My backup machine is a Via C7 with openchrome graphics ie not a graphic powerhouse.

Thanks for any feedback.

metre · 2011-04-24 19:17:33

I use E17 since 2 months -installed from official repository- and for me it's as stable as any other WM/DE (I tried openbox, fluxbox, ratpoison, dwm, awesome, kde, lxde, gnome). In my opinion, E17 is worth a try, definitely. So futuristic, so lightweight.

Last edited by metre (2011-05-02 08:39:26)

pogeymanz · 2011-04-25 00:48:51

Most docks do require compositing, and I do think it might be a little too resource heavy if you're worried about it.

Also, a ton of people seem to have wonderful experiences with e17, and looks and seems really awesome, but I've never had good luck with it. Maybe it's just the way I try to customize it, but I can always crash it. Sometimes to the point where I have to remove its config directory from my /home and try it again.

It might just be my hardware, though. I have an Nvidia GeForce 8300GS.

Try out e17, though. I don't want to scare you. Whenever I use it, I crash it pretty quickly, so if your luck is like mine, you'll probably know pretty quickly.

I'm one of the many Archers who's stuck on Openbox. It would take a pretty amazing WM to replace Openbox for me.

nicodoggie · 2011-04-25 02:29:26

e17 has been pretty stable for the past 2 months I've been using it. I have an Nvidia FX 5500 with nouveau drivers on a 5 year old Athlon with 1GB RAM, and compositing (even the more useless effects, to an extent) seems to work pretty well for me. The footprint is pretty light considering what you get and the DE is very flexible.

I had one instance where I had to delete my config though... I think it was caused by the window list gadget... I'm not sure if it works properly now, because I don't use it at all anymore, I use the IBox gadget--it basically does the same thing anyway (holds iconified windows).

shep · 2011-04-25 02:39:43

Well, it took me minutes to lock up E17 - both times trying to remove the battery applet on my battery free desktop. Found the Arch Gnome 3 forums and it does not look ready to try out either. I have setup openbox and tint2 on a low powered laptop. I am not a real fan of editing xml - frequently forget a closing tag or have typo. I'm going to see if searching for "enlightenment + gadget" will shed any light on the lock ups but I not ready to embrace E17

Last edited by shep (2011-04-25 16:03:34)

ANOKNUSA · 2011-04-25 03:29:27

shep wrote:

<snip> I am not a real fan of editing xml - frequently forget a closing tag or have typo. I'm going to see if enlightenment gadget will shed any ligth on the lock ups but I not to embrace E17

Check out Obmenu; while you still nee to have a general idea of what the various options/flags in the xml file stand for, you won't need to edit the file directly (it took me two minutes to botch mine the first time around, so I feel your pain).

shep · 2011-05-02 00:29:12

I tried Gnome 3 after it had moved to extra and my under-powered video card (openchrome) does not support the new gnome-shell - it fell back into legacy mode.
I guess I'll have to pony up for a video card.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-04-24 19:02:42

Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#2 2011-04-24 19:17:33

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#3 2011-04-25 00:48:51

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#4 2011-04-25 02:29:26

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#5 2011-04-25 02:39:43

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#6 2011-04-25 03:29:27

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

#7 2011-05-02 00:29:12

Re: Getting the itch to try a New Desktop Enlightenment vs Gnome 3 vs ...

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